1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention relates to fire detection systems generally, and more particularly to certain new and useful advances in improving fire detection systems to include mass notification capability of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the drawings accompanying and forming a part of the same.
2. Discussion of Related Art
In recent years, the field of mass notification has developed in response to the threat of terrorist attacks on civilian and government facilities, the threat of violence on school and university campuses, the danger afforded by natural and/or man-made hazards, and other events that require the emergency management of a large group of people.
Regardless of the type of emergency, authorities must be able to communicate quickly and clearly with all people who are or may be affected by the emergency. A mass notification system provides this capability and permits real-time information to be disseminated to all people in the immediate vicinity of a building or larger geographic area during and after an emergency using graphical information, textual information, visible signaling, audible signaling, intelligible voice communications, and the like. When properly designed and implemented, a mass notification system can save lives.
In the United States, the field of mass notification is addressed/regulated by entities that include but not limited to, the Department of Defense (DoD), the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA). For example, OSHA 1910.165 requires employers that use an alarm system to provide warning for necessary emergency action as called in the emergency action plan or reaction time for safe escape of employees from the work place, the immediate work area, or both. As another example, Annex E of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 72 provides requirements for the application, installation, location, performance and maintenance of a mass notification system (“MNS”). As yet another example, the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Outdoor Public Alerting System Guide (December 2004) advocates, “using voice technology to address all natural and man-made hazards, including acts of terrorism and requires that all warning systems be operable in the absence of AC supply power.”
FIG. 1 schematically illustrates the inputs 100, interfaces 120, and proposed mass notification outputs 130 of an existing fire system 121, alarm inputs 101, 102, 103, public address system 122, and Flight Information Display System (FIDS) 123 of a typical airport. Alarm input 101 may be a traditional fire alarm input. Alarm input 102 may be an automated emergency alarm input (non-fire). Alarm input 103 may be a manually activated emergency alarm (non fire) issued by a command center 104 to either a roadway signage system 105 or to a ground control operation 106. Output 131 includes activation of fire alarm strobes. Proposed mass notification output 133 includes activation of amber emergency strobes. Proposed mass notification output 134 includes activation of public address system. Proposed mass notification output 135 includes activation of a Flight Information Display System in a visual paging emergency textual information mode.
As FIG. 1 illustrates, disparate fire, public address, and flight information systems 121, 122, 123 that are separately installed do not form an integrated mass notification system. One reason for this is that the existing fire system 121 uses clear strobes at output 131 to indicate visually that a fire alarm has been activated, whereas standards such as NFPA 72-2007 require a mass notification system to use an amber strobe at output 133 to indicate all other types of emergencies. Other reasons are that each system 121, 122, 123 has different power requirements and uses different device communication protocols.
Thus, many unsolved challenges remain before an integrated mass notification system can be developed. Some include, but are not limited to: determining what existing systems (if any) should be used and/or integrated to form a mass notification system; determining what data protocols should be used to communicate emergency information among different types of mass notification technologies; determining the details of how to retrofit and/or modify existing fire systems to provide mass notification capabilities and/or to interface with non-fire systems while still meeting the strict fire system design and operating standards; determining the details of how to add amber emergency strobe capability to existing fire systems using the existing fire system wiring and/or a single integrated fire system/mass notification control circuit; and the like.
A need therefore exists for systems, methods and apparatus configured to integrate mass notification capability, including amber strobes, to an existing fire system in a manner that is cost-effective and that potentially eliminates the need to add stand-alone wiring and a stand-alone mass notification control circuit to an existing fire system.